Here are several tales Yoruba. Oyo State was the most powerful of the Yoruba city-states. Ilé-Ifé is considered the city of origin of all Yorubas. Here, the Yoruba religion is practiced as in all Yoruba states.
There was a certain lazy, disagreeable man that everyone called "Ole", or "Lazy". He liked to enjoy other people's work and was also very curious about other people's business.
Once he saw that the ants had started to build a pillar in the compound of his house. But although the ants had destroyed all the plants in the compound and stripped all the trees, Ole wouldn't have bothered to kill them or pull down their pillar.
Instead, he thought, "When the ants have raised this pillar very high, I will sit on it, and then I can see everything my neighbors are doing without leaving my enclosure." »
The thought pleased him, and he was glad that the ants were swarming in his enclosure. Every day the pillar rose, and finally the ants stopped their construction and started again elsewhere. Ole then climbed onto the pillar and spent the whole day observing the actions of his neighbors and laughing at their activity.
"Sitting here, I love a great leader,
And I see everything! »
sang Ole.
But as he sat on the pillar, the ants began to demolish his house and everything in it, and in a short time nothing was left of his food and possessions.
Ole thus became the laughingstock of the village, and all who saw him cried, “Ku ijoko! or "Greetings to you on your session!" »
Shortly after, he died, and it is not known to this day whether he died of shame or laziness.
Yoruba Tales: The Bao-Constrictor
OGUNFUNMINIRE, the famous hunter, lived so long that he was no longer able to go into the forest and hunt deer and leopard.
Life had no other pleasure for him than hunting, so he went to a magician and asked him for a charm that would allow him to continue his profession.
The magician gave him two jars each containing a charm. Every day, Ogunfunminire dipped his head into the first pot and was immediately transformed into a boa-constrictor, a form in which he glided through the forest and hunted as he pleased. At night he came back and buried his head in the second pot, and so became a man again.
This went on for a long time without the knowledge of the old hunter's family, but when at last they managed to discover the secret, they were filled with horror, and his son, in a rage, kicked the pots and knocked them all over. two.
Ogunfunminire was currently hunting in the forest, and when he returned home and found the magic jars overturned and empty, he was filled with dismay, as he had no way to return to his human form. For a few days the boa constrictor slithered near the house, looking for a few drops of charm, but in vain, and finally it disappeared into the forest and was never seen again by its family.
Yoruba Tales: Oluronbi
In a certain village, no child had been born for many years, and people were very distressed.
Finally all the women of the village went together in the forest, towards the magic tree, the Iroko, and implored the spirit of the tree to help them.
The Iroko-man asked what gifts they would bring if he would consent to help them, and the women eagerly promised him corn, yams, fruit, goats, and sheep; but Oluronbi, the young wife of a woodcarver, promised to bring her first child.
In due time, children arrived in the village, and the most beautiful of all children was the one born in Oluronbi. She and her husband loved their child so much that they could not consent to give it to the Iroko man.
The other women took their promised gifts of corn, yams, fruits, goats and sheep; but Oluronbi took nothing to reconcile. the tree.
Alas! one day when Oluronbi was crossing the forest, the Iroko man seized her and changed her into a small brown bird, which sat on the branches of the tree and sang plaintively:
“We promised a sheep,
One promised a goat,
A promised fruit,
But Oluronbi promised her child.
When the woodcarver heard the song of the bird, he understood what had happened and tried to find a way to win his wife back.
After thinking for several days, he began to carve a large wooden doll, like a real child in size and appearance, and with a small gold chain around its neck. Covering it with a beautiful native cloth, he placed it at the foot of the tree. The Iroko man thought it was Oluronbi's child, so he transformed the little bird into a woman again and grabbed the child from the branches.
Oluronbi happily returned home and was careful never to stray into the forest again.
Yoruba Tales: The Staff of Oranyan
ORANYAN, a brave and warlike king, founded the city of Oyo. As he had to lead an expedition to a remote part of his kingdom, he left his son in charge of the capital during his absence.
But the king was absent for such a long time that he and his soldiers were thought to have perished, and at last the people made their son king, and for some time he ruled them wisely and cheerfully.
However, Oranyan was not dead, and after many delays and difficulties, he once again closed in on Oyo with his few surviving followers.
As he approached the city, he was surprised to hear the notes of the Kakaki trumpet, which sounds for the king alone.
Feeling sure no one could know of his return, he asked a man working in the fields for whom the trumpet sounded.
"For the king," replied the man.
“Yes, but which king? asked the travel-worn stranger.
“Do you not know that the son of Oranyan is king and that he rules wisely and well over us? Her father was killed in action several months ago.
Desiring his son's happiness more than his own, the old king retraced his steps and settled down with his few friends in a humble retreat in a remote part of the country. It was not until Oranyan's death that his presence was reported to his son.
The young prince, who had become king, mourning the sacrifice of his noble father, erected an obelisk on the spot where he died, and the monument, known as the Staff of Oranyan, is still visible.
Yoruba Tales: The Elephant's Trunk
NOW it is common knowledge that Elephant has a long trunk, which he uses both as a nose and as a kind of hand – a very useful trunk indeed. But he was once without her, and had a very ordinary short muzzle like other animals.
The elephant was always curious and would sniff the forest, delving into the secrets of other animals. One day he came across a dark hole in the ground, and into that hole he poked his nose, to see what was there.
He immediately regretted his curiosity, because a large snake, which lived in the hole, grabbed him by the nose and tried to swallow him. At this, Elephant made a great uproar and his wife rushed to his aid. She grabbed her tail and pulled and pulled, and Elephant himself also pulled and pulled, but the snake wouldn't leave.
And as a result, Elephant's nose was pulled into the long trunk it still has.
At first he was ashamed to appear in the forest, because of his trunk, but now the other animals envy him.
One day, the monkey, who imitates everyone, looked into the same hole, thinking that it would be good to have a long trunk so that he could swing from the trees through his nose. But the big snake that lived in the hole swallowed it, and since then no one else has tried to imitate Elephant.
Yoruba Tales: The Secret of the Fishing Baskets
ACROSS a certain river, a poor fisherman put up a row of poles, and on each pole was tied a basket in which he hoped to trap the fish as they descended the river.
But his luck was very bad, and each evening, as he went from basket to basket in his canoe, he was disappointed to find that no fish, or only a few very small ones, had been caught.
This made him very sad and he was forced to live frugally.
One day he found a stranger sleeping by the river. Instead of killing the stranger, the fisherman spoke to him kindly and invited him to share his evening meal.
The stranger looked very pleased and ate and drank, but said no word. The fisherman thought: “He speaks another language.
Suddenly the stranger disappeared, and only the remains of the meal convinced the fisherman that he had not dreamed.
The next evening, when he went to empty his baskets, he was surprised to find them overflowing with fish. He couldn't explain his good fortune, and his surprise was even greater when the same thing happened the next day. On the third day the baskets were well filled again, and when the fisherman reached the last basket he saw that it contained a single monstrous fish.
" You do not know me ? said the fish.
“No, Mr. Fish. I've never seen you before! declared the fisherman, who nearly overturned the canoe in his astonishment.
"Have you forgotten the stranger you treated with such courtesy?" went on the fish. “It was me, and I'm the king of fish. I appreciate your kindness and intend to reward you.
Then the fish jumped into the river with a big splash. But since then, the fishing baskets filled up every evening, and the fisherman became rich and prosperous.
Yoruba Tales: The Ten Goldsmiths
A silversmith from a small village had ten sons, to whom he taught his trade. Over time, they became skilled craftsmen, e.g. 52 And when the old man was dying, he called the ten around him and spoke to them thus:
“My sons, in this small village there is certainly not enough work for ten goldsmiths. I have therefore decided that the most able among you will remain here in my place, while the others will have to go out into the world and seek their fortune elsewhere.
At this all the sons exclaimed that the plan was good, but who was to say which of them was the most skilful? The old man smiled and answered:
“I thought about that too. I will give you all a month to make some article of gold, and at the end of that time I will judge which has been most skilfully executed.
The ten sons immediately set to work to make some article, and all displayed great industry during the allotted time. At the end of the month, they came to their father, as he lay dying on the ground, and placed before him the objects they had made.
One had made a chain of fine gold, each link of which had the perfect shape of an elephant; another had made a beautifully ornate knife; another a small coffin; another a ring representing snakes twisted together, with shiny scales; another a pleasantly shaped water jug; etc
The old man smiled with pleasure seeing what his sons' industry had accomplished, but when he counted the items in front of him, he found that there were only nine. When he realized that one of his sons had produced nothing, he grew angry, especially when it turned out that it was the eldest, whom he secretly believed to be more skilful. than his brothers.
After having bitterly reproached this son, who was called Ayo, for his laziness, the father got ready to decide on the work of the other brothers; but Ayo suddenly stepped forward and begged him to wait another hour before making his choice.
“In the meantime, father,” he said, “let us all sit together around the fire for the last time, roasting wheat and telling stories.
This was how the family spent their time during the rainy season, and everyone happily consented to it.
As they sat down on the ground, the father picked up an ear of ripe corn that was lying near him. What was his astonishment when he tried to pick the grains to discover that it was gold!
Because that's what Ayo had done, and he had prepared a little trick to test the perfection of his work. It was so skillfully executed that all had been deceived into thinking it was a real ear of corn, and because of this the father and nine brothers all agreed that Ayo's work was definitely the best.
So Ayo took her father's place, and the others went off in different directions to seek their fortune.
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